Damian's Oracle(20)
She laughed. Startled, Damian stared at her.
“Sorry. I was thinking … it’s stupid,” she said. “I’m overwhelmed. One day I’m a boring financial planner, and the next day, I can’t go out in sunlight and I see the future.”
“You’ll be able to go outside once you transform.”
“What does that mean? Transform into what?”
“One of us. Our kind tend to live much longer than the average human. You’ll finish transforming soon and will be like a human, just with a very, very long and extended life. Except…” He trailed off, giving her a considering look.
“Except what?” she demanded, panicking. “I have three eyes instead of two? I grow a tail?”
“Nothing like that,” he assured her with a small smile. “One day, I’ll tell you. You’ll eventually have additional requirements to sustaining your body.”
“When can I go outside?” she asked again.
“Soon.”
They gazed at each other again, and she tried her damndest not to look away. A slow, languid smile crossed his features, one that made her body flush and ache for him. The vision of him on top of her protruded into her thoughts again. She looked away.
“I’ll always win that game,” he warned.
You have no idea, she mused. There were a great many things she’d let him do to her to win the game in her head.
“Like what?”
“You really can read minds,” she whispered, stricken.
“Damn straight. And I’m willing if you’re willing,” he said with a smile that set her blood alight. He clasped his hands behind his head, giving her an unobstructed view of his body.
“I’m not some sort of floozy,” she snapped, though she couldn’t help wishing she was. “I don’t sleep with random men, especially those who aren’t … you’re not even human, are you?”
“Nope.”
“What are you?”
“I guess you could say I’m a divine spirit of sorts,” he said, guarded once more.
“A ghost?”
“Not that kind of spirit.” He didn’t expand, and she was too afraid to ask. “I’m going out for a meeting in about an hour. I’ll probably be gone until noon or so. Han will be here if you need anything. Or, I can cancel, and we can live out the-- ”
“No, thanks,” she said, standing and all but bolting out of his suite. Her head hurt again, this time from trying to digest what he was telling her. She could see the future and he was a … what the hell was he?
He could read minds.
It made no sense, but neither did the sudden craving for peanut butter that dragged her to the kitchen, where yet another man she wanted to avoid was lounging. She snagged a jar of Jif and a spoon, retreating to her library. Jake followed, and Han was already waiting for her.
“What are you doing?” Jake asked.
“Transforming. Can’t you tell?” Irritated he continued to disturb her peace, she leveled a glare on him.
He stalked off, and Han glanced down from his bored stare at the ceiling. She didn’t care if he was miserable or not-- she hadn’t ordered him to babysit her. A few minutes later, Jake returned with a jug of water, appearing less than excited.
“Your shift,” Han said and rose.
Sofia retreated to her room, not wanting to fight more with Jake. She left the door cracked until she heard Jake greet Damian as the leader passed her room. After another half an hour, she gathered up a small backpack she’d found in a closet. The day before, she’d found quite a few treasures, to include the backpack, a flashlight, the key locker for the cars in the garage, and Jake’s wallet, which happened to have a credit card, which she had secretly used to book a flight from Tucson to Virginia.
“I want to go out,” she said and emerged from her bedroom.
“Great,” Jake said, rising from his seat outside her door and trailing her down the stairs.
“To the airport,” she added.
“That’s a no-go, Sofi.”
Ignoring him, she pulled out a set of keys and walked down the hall to the front door.
“Sofia,” Jake called, trailing.
“You’re not allowed to touch me,” she reminded him.
“D is.”
“D’s at some meeting. Remember?”
He frowned but followed her into the cool, pre-dawn morning toward the garage. Damian had a lot of cars, and she found the black BMW whose lights flashed when she clicked the key fob. She climbed in. Jake slid into the passenger seat beside her, pulling out his cell as he did.
He dialed and spoke in a different language to the man on the other end. She tightened her grip on the wheel, assuming he spoke to Damian. He didn’t appear out of thin air to stop her, and she made it from the mansion to the Tucson airport’s arrivals drop-off area, where she stopped in front of the Delta curbside check-in sign and handed Jake the keys.